Unit - 5 Social and Religious Reform Movements in the 19Th Century

SPLIT BY - SIS ACADEMY https://t.me/SISACADEMYENGLISHMEDIUM Unit - 5 Social and Religious Reform Movements in the 19th Century Learning Objectives To acquaint ourselves with The influence of Western ideas and Christianity in creating a new awakening in 19th century British India Contestation in the social and religious sphere – opposition to practices like sati, slavery, untouchability, and child marriage Opposition to idolatry, rituals and superstitious beliefs Contribution of Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Ramakrishna Mission, Theosophical Society and Aligarh Movement to the regeneration of India Role played by prominent personalities in bringing about this awakening amongst Parsees and Sikhs Social movement of Jyotiba Phule and reform movements in Kerala and Tamilnadu Introduction Brahmo Samaj, the Prarthana Samaj and the Aligarh Movement; and the revivalist movements English education, introduced with the such as the Arya Samaj, the Ramakrishna object of producing clerks, also produced a Mission and the Deoband Movement. There were new English-educated middle class. This class also attempts to challenge the oppressive social came under the influence of western ideas and structure by Jyotiba Phule in Pune, Narayana thoughts. Christianity also had its effect on the Guru and Ayyankali in Kerala and Ramalinga newly emerging middle class. Though small in Adigal and Vaikunda Swamigal of Tamilanadu. number, the educated middle class began to take The two other notable social reformers of a lead in political as well as in reform movements. Tamilnadu Periyar E.V.R. and Iyothee Thassar The Indian reformers were, however, quite are dealt with comprehensively in Unit X. hesitant to subject their old notions and habits to critical scrutiny. Instead they attempted to harmonize both Indian and Western cultures. Early Reform 5.1 Their ideas and their actions helped to mitigate Movements in Bengal social evils such as sati, female infanticide, and child marriage and various superstitious beliefs. (a) Raja Rammohan Roy and The reform movements of nineteenth Brahmo Samaj century in the realm of religion fall under two Rammohan Roy (1772–1833) was one broad categories: reformist movements like the of the earlier reformers influenced by the 67 Social and Religious Reform Movements in the 19th Century 10th_History_Unit_5.indd 67 10-04-2019 09:42:40 SPLIT BY - SIS ACADEMY https://t.me/SISACADEMYENGLISHMEDIUM Western ideas to temple in Calcutta, where there was no image. initiate reforms. He There he laid down that ‘no religion should be was a great scholar, reviled or slightly or contemptuously spoken off well-versed in Sanskrit, or alluded to.’ The Samaj forbade idol-worship Arabic, Persian, and and condemned meaningless religious rites English apart from and ceremonies. However, from the beginning, his knowledge in the appeal of the Brahmo Samaj remained his mother tongue, limited to the intellectuals and enlightened Bengali. Rammohan Bengalis. Though the Samaj failed to attract the Roy was opposed to people from the lower sections of society, its meaningless religious Raja Rammohan Roy impact on the culture of modern Bengal and ceremonies and all forms of pernicious social its middle class was quite significant. customs. Yet he wanted to preserve continuity with the past. In his religio–philosophical (b) Maharishi Debendranath Tagore social outlook, he was deeply influenced by After the death monotheism and anti-idolatry. Based on his of Rammohan Roy interpretation of the Upanishads, he argued (1833), Maharishi that all the ancient texts of the Hindus Debendranath Tagore preached monotheism or worship of one God. (1817–1905), the poet Deeply concerned with the prevailing Rabindranath Tagore’s customs of sati, child marriage, and polygamy father, carried on the he published tracts against them and work. He laid down petitioned the government to legislate against four articles of faith: them. He advocated the rights of widows to 1. In the beginning remarry. He wanted polygamy to end. His there was nothing. Debendranath Tagore opinions were resisted fiercely by orthodox The one Supreme Being alone existed who Hindus. He appealed to reason and humanity created the Universe. 2. He alone is the God and compassion of the people. He visited the of Truth, Infinite Wisdom, Goodness, and crematorium of Calcutta to try and persuade Power, eternal, omnipresent, the One without the relatives of widows to give up their plan of second. 3. Our salvation depends on belief self-immolation. His campaign played a key in Him and in His worship in this world and role in forcing the Governor-General William the next. 4. Belief consists in loving Him and Bentinck’s legislation abolishing sati in 1829. doing His will. Rammohan Roy condemned the (c ) Keshab Chandra Sen & subjugation of women and opposed the Brahmo Samaj of India prevailing ideas that women were inferior Debendranath was to men. He strongly advocated education a moderate reformer. for women. He gave his full support for the But his younger introduction of English language and western colleagues in the Sabha sciences in schools and colleges. Rammohan were for rapid changes. found in the Upanishads a new revelation of The greatest of these, one infinite, divine Being, the eternal Brahman, Keshab Chandra Sen, while Hinduism as he saw in the daily life (1838–84) joined the around him was a perversion of their teaching. movement in 1857. He Rammohan Roy founded the Brahmo was greatly influenced Samaj in 1828. On 20 August 1828 he opened a by Christianity, Keshab Chandra Sen Social and Religious Reform Movements in the 19th Century 68 10th_History_Unit_5.indd 68 10-04-2019 09:42:40 SPLIT BY - SIS ACADEMY https://t.me/SISACADEMYENGLISHMEDIUM believing in its spirit but not in the person It was also to the credit of Vidyasagar of its founder. But in 1866 a split occurred that the first age of consent Act was in the ranks of Brahmo Samaj. Keshab left enacted in 1860. The age for marriage the Samaj and founded a new organization. was fixed as ten years. It was raised to Debendranath’s organization, thereafter, came twelve and thirteen years in 1891 and 1925 to be known as Adi Brahmo Samaj. After respectively. Sadly, as reported in the Age Keshab had his fourteen-year-old daughter of Consent Committee (1929), the law married to an Indian prince, in contravention remained on paper and the knowledge of it of the Samaj’s condemnation of child marriages, was confined to judges, lawyers and a few the opponents of child marriage left the Brahmo educated men. Samaj of India and started the Sadharan Samaj, which developed anti-Christian tendencies. steam. A movement similar to the Brahmo (d) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Samaj, but founded in Bombay in 1867, was Prarthana Samaj. Its founder was Another Dr. Atma Ram Pandurang (1825–1898). outstanding The two distinguished members of this reformer in Samaj were R.C. Bhandarkar and Justice Bengal was Mahadev Govind Ranade. They devoted Ishwar Chandra themselves to activities such as inter- Vidyasagar caste dining, inter-caste marriage, widow (1820–1891). remarriage and improvement of women While Ram and depressed classes. Ranade (1842–1901) Mohan Roy and was the founder of the Widow Marriage others looked Association (1861), the Poona Sarvajanik to western Sabha (1870) and the Deccan Education rationalist ideas Society (1884). to reform society, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar Vidyasagar argued that the Hindu scriptures While the above reformers worked among were progressive. He provided evidence from the upper castes, during the same time Jyotiba scriptures that there was no sanction for Phule worked for the uplift of depressed burning of widows or for the prohibition on castes and the cause of women. His book the remarriage of widows. He wrote a number Gulamgiri (‘Slavery’) is an important work of polemical tracts, and was the pioneer of that condemned the inequities of caste. modern Bengali prose. He played a leading role in promoting education of girls and helped them in setting up a number of schools. He dedicated his whole life for the betterment of the child widows of the Hindu society. The movement led by Vidyasagar, resulted in the Widows’ Remarriage Reform Act of 1856. This Act was intended to improve the lot of child widows and save them from perpetual widowhood. (e) Prarthana Samaj The Maharashtra region was another region where reform activities gained Dr. Atma Ram M.G. Ranade Pandurang 69 Social and Religious Reform Movements in the 19th Century 10th_History_Unit_5.indd 69 10-04-2019 09:42:40 SPLIT BY - SIS ACADEMY https://t.me/SISACADEMYENGLISHMEDIUM 5.2 Hindu Revivalism In 1893 Arya Samaj split over the question of doctrinal purity. Swami (a) Swami Dayanand Saraswati Shraddhananda (1857–1926), a charismatic and Arya Samaj, 1875 figure after Dayananda, accused the group In the Punjab, running the DAV School of being too the reform movement Westernized and thereby ignoring the was spearheaded by founder’s ideology. From 1900 onward, he the Arya Samaj. It was established his own network of schools, the founded (1875) by a Gurukulas, which were outwardly modelled wandering ascetic in after ancient Hindu seats of learning, the western Gangetic emphasising the study of the Vedas. plain, Swami Dayanand Saraswati (1824–83). Swami Dayanand later (b) Ramakrishna settled in the Punjab to Swami Dayanand As we saw earlier, the Brahmo Samaj, preach his ideas. His book, Saraswati as a response to Christian and rationalist Satyarthaprakash, enjoyed criticism had criticised idolatry and other wide circulation. He declared the practices orthodox Hindu practices. The popularity such as child marriage, the prohibition of that Ramakrishna (l836–86), a simple priest widow remarriage, and the alleged polluting of Dakshineswar near Kolkata, gained in the effects of foreign travel had no scriptural latter half of the nineteenth century was a sanction. The positive principles enunciated response to this. He emphasised the spiritual by Dayanand were: strict monotheism, union with god through ecstatic practices such condemnation of idolatry, and rejection of as singing bhajans.

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